A Grimm Tale
by solartitan32
Summary: A boy turned monster fights for the betterment of his kind. However, A mission gone wrong leaves him the sole survivor and reveals that his method of fighting is what's causing the problems. When given the chance at redemption, will he take it? Or will he become the monster he fears he is?
1. Prolouge

**AN: I'm sorry this took as long as it did, I've had to deal with family stuff lately and haven't been able to work as often as I'd like.**

 **I don't want to keep you waiting so I'll get right to the chapter. Any details about the new story will be at the end of the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything except my OCs. Rwby belongs to Rooster Teeth. Please support the official release.**

Grimm Trailer

 _Schnee company quarry, ten miles from Atlas_

On the ledge of a canyon stood a lone figure. He had jet-black hair except for two patches of white on his wolf-like ears on his head. He wore a black trench coat with roughed up edges along the bottom opened to reveal a dark grey shirt tucked into black cargo pants and combat boots on his feet. He had a leather strap wrapping around his torso from his right shoulder to left hip, which held a greatsword on his back and a shoulder pad on his right arm.

He was currently looking through a pair of binoculars at the Schnee company quarry at the end of the canyon. It was a simple outpost, chain-link fence, manufacturing building, guard's quarters, worker quarters, and the Administrator's office. This place was just another mine using Faunus labor for less than minimum wage.

A second man, a head shorter to the first, walked up to the ledge. He wore a pair of jeans and a jean jacket over a red shirt. He had brown, curly hair with two boar ears atop his head and hazel colored eyes that held a sense of arrogance to them. Clipped to his belt was a morning star that he had a hand resting on, eager for a fight.

"Everyone's in position, Verdax." He said as the first figure hands him the binoculars, revealing his onyx eyes.

"Look at the quarry an tell me what you see." Verdax tells him.

The figure takes the binoculars and looks to the compound. "Guards patrolling and workers working." He said as he turned to Verdax. "What's the problem?"

Verdax growled. "There are too few guards, even for a place like this. Not to mention the scent of depression and fear is a bit higher than usual. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

The figure shrugged as he turned back to the compound. "Your Grimm Sense is stronger than mine."

"You wanna call this off?" He asked, watching the compound.

Verdax was silent. "No." He said. "I'm not going to explain to Shiro and Adam why we backed out based on a feeling. Tell the men to be on guard at all times. We attack in an hour."

0-0-0-0

Two guards stood at the gate. They wore standard issue Atlas military armor, one with orange highlights and one with maroon highlights.

"Hey." Orange spoke up.

"What?" Maroon asked.

"Do you ever wonder, why we're here?"

Before Maroon could answer, two people broke from the tree line and walked up the dirt road to the gate, stopping in front of the soldiers. The first was a wolf Faunus, while the second was a boar Faunus.

"Stop right there!" Maroon called out, raising his gun.

The boar Grimm stepped forwards. "Sorry, my friend and I are a little lost. Could you give us directions back to Atlas?" He asked gesturing to his friend, who had his arms crossed and looking to the side.

Orange spoke up. "Why are you kids here, and what's with the weapons?"

Boar scratched the back of his neck with a nervous smile. "Well, we were going on a cross-country hike and didn't want to be Grimm chow, so we brought our weapons."

The two soldiers looked at each other before Maroon sighed and put away his gun.

"Alright you two, we'll take you inside and give you directions to Atlas." Maroon said.

As Maroon stepped forwards Boar suddenly disappeared in an orange flash and reappeared behind the soldier. He swung his morning star, causing the metal spike ball to collide with Maroon's head, knocking it off and into Orange's surprised arms as the body collapsed.

"What the fuc-!" Orange shouted before being stabbed through the chest by Wolf's greatsword.

0-0-0

Verdax removed his sword from the corpse, causing it to fall forwards onto the ground, the other soldier's severed head rolling away.

His greatsword looked like two swords, one longer than the other, split down the middle by a band of dark steel with red highlights that also formed the hilt and the handle was wrapped in black leather.

Sheathing the blade, Verdax looks to his partner. "Really Aaron? A cross-country hike?"

Aaron shrugged. "I was on the spot. Sue me."

Verdax walked up to the gate, drawing on his Aura and surrounding himself in black energy. Gripping it with both hands, he ripped it off its hinges, throwing the door to one side. He the put a finger to his earpiece as his Aura died down.

"Operation Mineshaft is a go. All units move to your objectives. Keep nonessential chatter to a minimum and stay alert." He barked into the mike.

Verdax turned to Aaron. "Go clear out the quarry, I'll deal with the Administrator. We'll rendezvous at manufacturing. Don't Grimmify unless absolutely necessary."

Aaron nodded before sprinting towards the quarry while Verdax made his way to Administration.

0-0-0-0

Verdax broke down the door to building, startling the soldiers inside. He stabbed one through the chest before whirling around and bisecting another at the waist. A third fumbled for his gun, but Verdax cut off his leg at the knee and grabbed the gun while using the man as a shield. He quickly mowed down the other soldiers in the room before stabbing the greatsword into the man's back.

Suddenly Verdax felt a jolt of pain as he was shot in the shoulder. He looked to see one of the soldiers lying on the ground, having survived the gunfire. Planting his sword in the ground, Verdax picks up the man by his neck as black Aura leaks off the wound, closing it up and healing it without a trace. The man's eyes widened in fear.

Without a word Verdax's right arm became surrounded in a black Aura as the man glowed a dim white before it trailed into Verdax's arm. The man's mouth was opened in a wordless scream as his Aura was drained from him. When Verdax released his grip, the man fell to the ground, dead.

Retrieving his sword, Verdax makes his way to a nearby elevator. He pushes the button for the Administration office and the elevator begins moving. When it comes to a stop, he smells nervousness outside. He sighs, knowing that means there's an ambush to deal with. He quickly unsheathes his greatsword before twisting the handle, causing the sword to split into two smaller, one-handed swords, the blade in his right hand half a foot longer than the other.

Before the doors opened all the way, Verdax charged forwards, breaking the door and surprising the soldiers on the other side. He stabbed the front two in the neck, and then pulled them in front of him to act as a shield from the other six soldier's gunfire. Dropping the corpses, he ran and stabbed another soldier through the chest with the left sword while he slashed with the right one as he pressed a button on its hilt, releasing the blade on a chain extension allowing it to decapitate another soldier.

He reeled the blade back in as he charged the left sword with Aura, slashing it and creating a crescent wave that bisected three more soldiers. The last one shakily held up his sidearm, but before he could shoot, Verdax shot both blades into a wall behind him on either side of a door. He reeled himself in, using the momentum to kick the soldier through the door before landing on his sternum and shattering it with a loud crack, killing him instantly.

Before he could stand, Verdax heard clicking behind him. After a quick glance, he saw that two soldiers stood with their guns aimed at his head. A chuckle brought his attention to the front of the room. Sitting at the desk was a man in his early fifties with steel grey hair and hazel eyes. He was drinking from a flask while his other hand rested on a revolver.

"I must applaud you for making it here boy." The man said in a gruff voice. "The sheer number of soldiers would have at least slowed down any other person."

Verdax stood slowly. "I'm not like anyone else." He replied.

"That much is obvious." The man commented as one of the soldiers took Verdax's swords. "However, your organization is nothing if not predictable."

Verdax raised an eyebrow. "The White Fang are suckers for anything that uses Faunus labor." The man continued. "Using that info combined with the recent string of assaults by your group of freaks, it was only a matter of time until you came here."

He was interrupted by the sound of engines from outside followed by gunfire. "Right where we want you." He finished.

Verdax stared at the man. "So, the lack of guards, the scent of unease, and general feeling of abandonment. It was a trap from the start." He said.

The man smirked as he stood and walked in front of Verdax, gun level to his heart. "The one thing I didn't expect, was that someone as young as you would be in charge."

"I may lack age," Verdax said calmly. "But I certainly have-"

He vanished in a flurry of black petals and reappeared behind the soldiers. Grabbing them by the shoulders and drained their Auras before grabbing his swords as their corpses fell.

"Experience." He finished as he reformed his weapon into greatsword form.

The man fired a few rounds at Verdax out of fear, but they were easily deflected by his greatsword. He walked forwards, ripping the gun from the man's grip as he pushed him back onto the table.

"Any last words?" Verdax asked, holding the gun under the man's chin.

The man was silent, his eyes full of fear, before taking a breath. "You're only dooming yourself and all your kind." He said.

Verdax hesitated. "Explain." He growled.

The man had the nerve to laugh. "You freaks pretend you're on some 'righteous crusade' for the betterment of the Faunus, but when you look at the actions your group has taken, you see nothing more than homicidal terrorists."

Verdax pressed the gun further into the man's neck. "You try to earn equality through fear," He continued. "But you're also making yourself a threat to humanity in the process."

He reached forwards and grabbed Verdax by the collar and bright him closer until they were eye to eye. "So what happens when humanity decides to drop its own problems and decides you're too big a threat to ignore!?" He shouted. "How many of your friends!? The children you're fighting for!? How many of them would die in that war!?"

Verdax stood there, staring into the eyes of this man, before pulling the trigger. The corpse released his coat as it fell back, collapsing on the floor. He threw away the gun and shifted his sword to the right hand as he stared at the body before him. An explosion from outside snapped him to reality.

"Aaron, what's happening?" He shouted into the earpiece.

"Atlas military!" Aaron responded. "The bastards came out of nowhere! We've lost the majority of our forces and are surrounded in the courtyard!"

Verdax twisted the handle of his sword again, this time it folded back, forming a crescent shape. The blades were outside the crescent and a cable attached the two ends of it, transforming it into a bow.

"I'm on my way." He said.

0-0-0

Outside was a war zone. Atlas soldiers had flooded the place with their robots, killing any White Fang soldiers they encountered. The ground was littered with the corpses of Atlas military, Faunus and broken machinery. Aaron and the remaining White Fang members stood back to back in a circle, fighting off the approaching army, but it was a losing battle.

"I guess this counts." Aaron said as he raised his hand to his face.

As he swept his hand down, he was surrounded in a dark orange Aura that pushed back the advancing soldiers. On his face was a white, bone-like mask with an orange line crossing from the left temple to the right cheek. There was a pig like nose in the middle of the mask and two tusk-like protrusions along the jawline. His iris turned a burning orange while the sclera turned black.

He roared, his voice distorted by his mask, as he brought down his morning star on top a crowd of soldiers. The following explosion obliterated those in its field and sent anyone else on its borders flying. Before Aaron could prepare another strike, he had to doge a hail of gunfire from above. He looked to see a soldier manning a mounted minigun on a bullhead as it flew over.

Before the gunner could shoot again, a streak of black energy in the shape of an arrow flew through the air and struck the fuel line of the airship, engulfing it in flames. As the ship fell to the ground Aaron traced the arrow's path, spotting Verdax standing atop manufacturing, bow in his left hand.

Swiftly, Verdax turned, drawing the string of his bow back. As he did so, his Aura flowed from his left hand into the bow, where it reformed into an arrow on the drawstring. He released the arrow into a crowd, causing an explosion of black energy as it impacted. He then released a volley of arrows, the following explosions reducing the number of Atlas soldiers to a handful.

Verdax leapt to the ground, turning his weapon into greatsword form and cutting a soldier in half as he landed. The remaining soldiers retreated while Verdax, Aaron, and the handful of White Fang fell back to manufacturing.

"I leave you alone for ten minutes." Verdax growled as Aaron dispersed his mask.

"Spare me the lecture this time alright?" Aaron demanded.

Verdax ignored him, hiding beside a widow while looking out, trying to spot the enemy.

Aaron took his place on the other side of the same window. "What do we do now?" He questioned.

"Can you reach anyone outside the canyon?" Verdax suggested only for Aaron to shake his head.

"They're jamming comms." He informed. "We're on our own."

"Damn it." Verdax said. "We'll just have to fight our way out."

"Yeah," Aaron replied sarcastically. "How well do you think that's going to work?"

"You got a better idea?" Verdax growled.

Suddenly a voice rang out through the ruined outpost.

"Attention White Fang!" It said. "I wish to parley with your leader. Come out so we may discuss terms of surrender."

Verdax and Aaron share a look. "Problem solved." Aaron said as he moved to the door.

"Wait!" Verdax commanded, grabbing his arm. "This is obviously a trap."

"Then let's both go." Aaron said, annoyed, earning a raised eyebrow from Verdax. "They can't kill both of us." He then opened the door and walked out.

"Oum damn it." Verdax muttered as he followed Aaron.

Standing amid the ruins from the previous battle, was a young man, no older than twenty-five. He had sandy blonde hair combed back and wore a white tuxedo with a blue tie, giving him a sophisticated look. Both hands were resting on a cane in front of him, about waist height. Verdax noticed a trigger towards the top, indicating it was also a weapon. He raised an eyebrow as Verdax and Aaron approached.

"I wasn't expecting children." The man commented.

"No one ever does." Aaron replied with a smirk.

The man seemed to accept this as he took a flask from his coat. He took a drink before offering it to the two Faunus, who declined.

"My name is Winston Churchill." He informed as he put away the drink. "I thank you both for meeting me under these... Unique circumstances."

Aaron began to speak, but Verdax beat him to it. "Cut the crap. You Atlas types are as prideful as you are arrogant. Why'd you suddenly surrender?"

Winston blinked before suddenly smirking. "I believe there has been a mistake." He said calmly as he took out a small metal box. "I'm here, for _your_ surrender."

With that he flicked open the box and pressed the red button under the lid. Before either Faunus could react, the manufacturing building the came out of exploded. The two staggered forwards from the force of the blast and turned to look behind them in horror. They stared at the flames and rising smoke for what felt like an eternity before Aaron snapped.

"BASTARD!" He shouted as he charged towards Winston, forming his mask.

Without warning, gunfire sounded from the rooftops as snipers opened up on Aaron. Most missed but one managed to take out his right knee, causing him to collapse at Winston's feet. Winston then grabbed his chin and forced him to meet his gaze while planting the gun into his neck.

At this point Verdax recovered and readied his greatsword. "Let him go!" He demanded.

Winston growled. "You Faunus are a plight on Remnant. One I intend to purge, one by one."

Verdax ran forwards, concerned for his comrade. Time slowed as he began to disappear in a burst of petals as Winston pulled the trigger.

Verdax never made it.

Aaron fell back, black blood gushing from his neck like a fountain as his mask shattered. Enraged, Verdax charged his fist with Aura, surrounding it in smokey black energy before slamming it into Winston's chest, breaking the ribs it hit and throwing him across the compound. In a single movement, he charged his blade with Aura; giving it the same glow as his fist, and spun around, taking out the buildings the snipers were positioned on with a massive circular energy wave.

"Aaron!" Verdax shouted, running to his fallen comrade as the snipers cried out from being crushed under the rubble.

The boar Faunus began coughing up blood as he kneeled at his side.

"I... tried to... warp..." Aaron grunted through the pain.

"Just hold on!" Verdax said. "I'll get us out of here."

Aaron grabbed his wrist. "Verdax listen… I think that asshole can… negate semblances..."

"That doesn't matter now!" Verdax shouted. "I need to get you help-"

Aaron coughed up a large amount of blood. "Verdax, we both know I won't make it…" He said grimly. "While I still have some Aura left… I want you to do it."

"But Aaron-"

"I don't care what happens!" Aaron roared, putting his hand in Verdax's. "Just go… kick his ass for me."

Verdax just stared at the face of his dying friend, and then closed his eyes as he started draining his Aura. He could hear Aaron grunting as he refused to cry out in pain. This continued for a few moments before all became silent. When he opened his eyes, his comrade had a peaceful look on his face, as if knowing Verdax would finish the job.

"I'm sorry Aaron." Verdax said, a single tear falling as his friend succumbed to blood and Aura loss.

Winston managed to stagger through the hole in the wall, his suit torn and clutching his side. "That was a hell of a punch kid." He commented as he walked towards the scene. "But I'll tell you-"

He was interrupted as Verdax's Aura exploded in power. Verdax looked up, and Winston froze in his tracks. He stood, greatsword in his left hand, surrounded in a black torrent of energy and stared at Winston through his mask.

The mask was made of the same material as Aaron's but it was more human like. It had two glowing red lines trailing from the forehead, through the eye sockets, and down to the chin. The mouth was a set of jagged teeth that stretched across the mask. His sclera was black while his eyes turned blood red.

"No," Verdax calmly said in his distorted voice. "I will tell you that you've made the biggest mistake of your short life."

With that he charged forwards fast enough to that he seemingly teleported. He grabbed Winston by the face before slamming him down into the ground with enough force to make an impact crater.

"You made me watch my friend die." He hissed.

Winston's eyes went wide with fear as Verdax leapt back and started charging a ball of Aura in his hand. Winston only stared at Verdax before his fear suddenly tripled.

"What?! Why can't I cancel your semblance?!" He demanded.

Verdax growled. "I don't need a semblance to kill a weakling like you."

He then fired the black energy at Winston who jumped to one side. The following explosion created another crater and launched Winston face first against a wall. Not giving him an opportunity, a black pulse surrounded Verdax before he disappeared in a black flash and reappeared behind Winston.

"This is for Aaron!" He shouted as Winston looked back in time to see Verdax run the sword through his back up to the hilt, piercing the heart.

Verdax steps back, taking the sword with him and allowing the body to fall to the ground. He stands there, staring at the corpse for what felt like eternity. He then reaches a hand to the mask and allows it to disperse. He walks over to Aaron's body and kneels by it, head hung low. Staring at the corpse, he remembers the administrator's words.

 _'How many of your friends would die in that war!?'_

"Too many." Verdax answered.

Rising, Verdax walked away from the corpse before turning and disintegrating it in a blast of Aura. Satisfied, he vanished in another flash of black energy, one thought on his mind:

'Is there another way?'

 **AN: Done!**

 **First thing to address: Ruby won the poll, so the pairing will be Verdax x Ruby.**

 **Second: Verdax's weapon. To simplify it, picture a daedric greatsword from Skyrim that separates into two daedric swords, one longer than the other, and also turns into a bow.**

 **Third: His new semblance was demonstrated towards the end of the chapter, if you look close you can see it.**

 **Lastly, I'm having a bit of writer's block, so for a while I'll be working on the rewrite for Alien Watch. I'm also thinking of starting to write my stories in first person, let me know if that's preferable.**

 **Let me know what you think of the story. Is it better? Worse? I appreciate feedback, no flames please.**


	2. Dust Store Brawl

**AN: Sorry this took so long. I'm going to be busy these next few months so chapters may not come out as fast as I'd like.**

 **There are a few things I want to address, but I'll leave them at the end.**

 **Enjoy!**

Dust Store Brawl

 _Downtown Vale_

 _Six Months Later..._

 _Verdax POV_

I walked down the streets of Vale, people giving me weird looks at they passed. Most looked down on me or said rude comments because of my Faunus heritage.

"Asshole." I muttered to a man who tried to trip me.

"What was that?" He asked angrily.

I stayed quiet as I rested a hand on the hilt of my greatsword, Grimmsbane. The man became nervous as I glared at him and decided to walk away.

"That's what I thought." I muttered as I brought my hand down.

Having put that encounter behind me, I continued down the street, putting my hands in my pockets. I looked in the windows of shops I passed, frowning at the occasional 'we don't serve Faunus sign'. Before that mission in Vacuo I would have gladly leveled establishments like that, but now I don't know what to do.

I approached a shop called 'Dust to Dawn' as a large group of men in suits walked in. I sighed, knowing that the owner would be robbed of his livelihood. As I passed the window I leaped back as it exploded outwards.

A red blur landed in the middle of the street as one of the goons from inside hit the sidewalk, probably dead or unconscious, as he didn't get up. Looking back at the blur, I saw it was a young girl. She was on the short side, probably a teenager, her hair was black with red highlights, she wore what looked to be a black dress with red frills poking out from under the skirt, and a corset wrapped around her midsection. She held a scythe over her shoulder that she twirled like a baton before planting in the ground in front of her.

I looked inside the store through the broken window to see what caused this. Standing there was a crowd of men dressed similar to the man on the sidewalk and one that stood out. He wore a white suit and a bowler hat with a feather in it. He held a cane in his right hand and puffed his cigarette while looking at the girl and me before glancing at his men.

"Well? Get them!" He ordered, gesturing at the girl and myself.

"Can I not just take a fucking walk?" I asked as the goons started pouring out of the dust shop, half going for me, half for the girl.

The first swung his machete, which I dodged easily, grabbing his wrist and breaking it with a tight squeeze. As the man yelled in pain, I grabbed his fallen weapon and rammed it through his chest before quickly turning around, flinging the newly-made corpse of the sword, and threw said weapon into another goon's skull. I then disappeared in a flash of petals and reappeared behind another goon, breaking his neck and using his body as a shield from another sword. Before the weapon's owner could react I outstretched my arm, pointing at him and fired a precise beam of Aura between his eyes. The corpse fell backwards with a shocked look still on its face.

I appeared in front of the last goon in a burst of petals and grabbed him by the throat, draining his Aura. His screams of pain echoing through the streets before I threw his corpse at the white suited man's feet as the girl knocked another goon into the same place.

"Worth every cent, truly you were." The man said as he dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his cane. "Well Red, Wolfy, it's been fun but-"

He was cut off as I appeared in front of him in a burst of petals before grabbing his neck. Lifting him off the ground, I studied his face, now contorted in pain and surprise before throwing him across the street and into a building, cracking the wall as he impacted.

"Roman Torchwick." I called out as he fell to the ground with a groan. "Vale's most infamous crime boss and one of the few people stupid enough to piss me off."

I could smell the girl becoming more nervous as I kept my gaze of the criminal before me. I almost cast her a glance before Torchwick started rising.

"You've got me at a disadvantage kid." He said with a chuckle, clearly trying to act tough. "I think you should at least have the courtesy to introduce yourself before you start breaking buildings."

Our gazes met, neither of us giving ground in our unseen struggle.

"My name is Verdax Ashen." I stated loudly and confidently, allowing my Aura to flare up, seemingly giving the words more weight to them.

Torchwick's eyes widened noticeably. He started to reek with fear, which confused me. Before I could speak he hastily raised his cane, causing the end to flip up and revealing a crosshair. He fired a small missile at me, but I brought my arms up in an 'x' fashion to block it. The missile impacted, making me flinch at the burning sensation on my arms and creating a smokescreen, blocking my vision.

My Aura pulsed as I changed semblances, clearing the dust and revealing that Torchwick had fled. As my burns healed I took a quick sniff of the air, which revealed that he was still in the area, causing me to look around until I spotted him halfway up the ladder of the building.

'He's fast if nothing else.' I thought, glancing at the girl, who also spotted Torchwick.

"Stay back." I growled at her, causing her to shrink back.

I warped to the top of the building as Torchwick started to pull himself up. My sudden appearance almost made him fall, much to my amusement. I grabbed him by the collar and threw him across the rooftop as I head a gunshot behind me.

"Hey!" The girl called out, only to be silenced by a glare from me.

"I told you to stay back!" I barked, making her reek of nervousness and shrink back further.

Torchwick began to pick himself up, dusting off his clothes. "Persistent." He muttered as a bullhead suddenly rose from the alley bellow, opening up its door and letting Torchwick climb in.

He turned around. "End of the line you two!" He shouted as he threw a red Dust crystal at my feet and readied his cane.

I don't know what compelled me to do so, but I grabbed the girl's arm and warped straight up in the air before Torchwick's shot hit it, saving her from the resounding explosion. Ignoring her shouts of surprise I warped us back down and, in a single motion, drew my sword and charged it with Aura before slashing it diagonally. This created a crescent wave that hit the airship, almost knocking it into a nearby building.

I watched Torchwick stumble into the cockpit and put both hands on the hilt of Grimmsbane, my guard up.

"Red, there is a very high chance that this will get real ugly, real fast." I told the girl, looking back at her. "I suggest you get out of here."

The girl looked back at me. I didn't show it but her silver eyes somehow felt familiar and made me uneasy at the same time. Looking at her expression, I saw that while she was afraid, she was also curious and determined. The kind of determination you see on someone who's either confident in their abilities and knows they can win, or someone too stupid to give up. I personally thought she was the latter.

"I'm not going anywhere!" She said with determination.

This girl was beginning to anger me, but before I could respond I saw movement in the bullhead. I looked to see a feminine figure step out and seemingly glare at me. With a wave of her hands she fired several flaming projectiles at the girl and me. My Aura pulsed as I changed semblances again, and I got ready to doge. Before I could move, a woman leapt between the attack, and us creating a shield that took the brunt of it.

She had blonde hair and wore a white button-up shirt that showed off some cleavage tucked into a skirt. She had glasses, a cape with intricate curve designs at the bottom, and high heeled shoes.

Once the attack cleared, she pushed her glasses up against her head and fired her own projectiles into the bullhead, making the craft sway under the impacts. The figure lost her balance and tried to correct herself as the airship regained control. Not wanting to waste time, I reconfigured Grimmsbane into bow form and in a single fluid motion, created, drew and released an Aura arrow. The projectile passed by the figure before punching a small hole through the other side of the airship.

I must have nicked the woman as her hand flew to her cheek after the arrow vanished. The figure glared at me in both a hateful and curious manner, and I met her gaze, neither of us giving ground until the bullhead closed its door and flew into the night. Sighing I allowed Grimmsbane to return to greatsword form and sheathed it, only to have the girl run up to me.

"Oh my Oum that was awesome!" She shouted to my annoyance. "What kind of weapon is that? How many forms does it have? How did you do those lasers? Was it your semblance? If so, how did you-"

"Shut up!" I barked, surprising the girl and making her shrink back. "I've had enough shit to deal with for tonight and I don't need some over excited teenager trying to play twenty questions."

The girl looked like a kicked puppy, making me feel like the biggest asshole for the first time in years. Ignoring those confusing feelings, I turned to leave only to have the woman from earlier block my path.

"And what do you want?" I growled.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me. "The two of you are coming with me to the police station. Someone wants a word with you."

My curiosity was piqued. "And who would this person be?" I asked.

"I can't tell you until you meet him."

I gave a short laugh. "Well you can have all the fun you want with Red over there," I said, gesturing to the girl. "But I'm not interested."

I walked around her and made my way to leave the roof, only to feel myself floating above the ground. I looked to see the woman with a raised riding crop and shooting me a deadly glare.

"I have no time for childish behavior. You're coming with me and that's final." She stated, leaving no room to argue.

To say I was mad is an understatement. I was absolutely livid. This bitch, who comes out of nowhere suddenly, thinks she can order me around? Hell. Fucking. No.

As the woman and the girl began walking away with me being 'dragged' behind them, I reached for my weapon, only to feel a presence enter my mind. With a short hiss, I grabbed the side of my head, trying to ease the pain as a voice spoke.

 _"I wouldn't do that if I were you."_ It said. The Voice had no way of identifying if it was male or female, it was just there. And I hurt like hell whenever if forced itself forwards. " _Don't you know who that is?_ "

"Get out." I growled, drawing the attention of the other two people present.

 _"That,"_ the voice continued. " _Is a fully-trained huntress, and a damn strong one too. Not that you'd know since you won't learn to sense Aura levels."_

"I said leave me alone! I don't need you!" I began shouting.

"Young man, what in OUM'S name are you talking about?" The woman demanded, but I ignored her.

 _"I beg to differ. You plan to fight someone out of your league with only your own power. I've told you before, I'm not letting you get me killed through your suicidal plans."_

I screamed as the Voice pushed itself further into my mind, casing the woman to drop me and examine me for injuries.

 _"If you really want to fight, just use me."_ The Voice said playfully. _"With my power you'll beat that arrogant bitch within a inch of her life, maybe more."_

"I said-"

 _"I KNOW WHAT YOU SAID!"_ The Voice screamed, making me wince. _"Just use me Verdax! Let me give you power!"_

"Boy, speak to me!" The woman demanded as the girl watched, concerned and afraid.

 _"Use me."_

"Boy!"

 _"Use me!"_

"Answer me!"

 _"USE ME-"_

"ALRIGHT!" I yelled with all my pent up anger and frustration as I swept my hand across my face.

The woman and the girl were thrown back by the sudden increase in Aura. At the center was me, Grimmsbane in duel-wield form and glaring at the woman through the eye holes of the mask that formed on my face as my black Aura trailed off my body like smoke.

 _"See, isn't this better?"_ The Voice teased.

I didn't answer it, but I felt compelled to agree. As strong as I was, the power that came with the mask was much greater and more intoxicating. I felt strength flow through my limbs and my senses and perception heightened.

 _"Good_ , _"_ The Voice said. _"Now, you wanted to kill this bitch right?"_

Did I? No... I wanted to get away. But maybe...

 _"Come on."_ The Voice suggested. _"She tried to take you against your will, thought of herself as your better. Make this bitch learn her place."_

"Learn... her... place..." I muttered as the woman and girl slowly rose. The girl looked terrified while the woman looked ready to fight.

 _"That's right Verdax. Kill her. Make her scream."_

"Kill her..." I growled. The Voice was right. If this whore thinks she can make me do what she wants, then I'll show her how wrong she is!

 **"KILL HER!"** The Voice and I shout together. My Aura flares up dramatically, creating a strong gust of wind that pushes against the woman and knocks down the girl.

Channeling the extra Aura into the blades I burst forwards in a flash of petals before appearing in front of the woman. With a roar I brought the right sword down towards her head. She reacted fast, bringing up her riding crop and making a shield, not that it mattered. When the sword made contact in pierced the shield and, with a little more force, shattered it completely. Swinging with the left sword I cut her across the stomach as she leapt away. Not enough to gut her, but enough to turn the lower part of her clothes a dark crimson in seconds.

 _"You don't need weapons."_ The Voice softly spoke in my mind. _"It will feel so much better to take her life with your bare hands."_

"With my own hands..." I said as I threw down Grimmsbane. It was right, this would feel so much better.

I charged yet again, this time the woman fired several energy projectiles at me. I dogged each one in a flash of petals. Once again I was in front of her, this time I grabbed her wrist and shattered it with a simple twist. Her screams of pain were like music to my ears before I delivered a right hook to her ribcage. I felt the bones give way as I hit her with enough force to break my hand, sending her flying across the roof and into a chimney.

I stared down at my destroyed hand, black blood pouring from the wound and my fingers all bent at the wrong angles. I didn't even flinch as the bones and tendons fused together and snapped back into place with sickening noises. As the skin repaired itself I looked to the girl who was now behind me. Even without smelling for it I could tell she was terrified. Her pupils were dilated and shaking, her skin was pale and she began slowly backing away from me. I considered turning my attention to her, but I did not feel the same bloodlust for her, so she was ignored.

The woman stood up, clutching her side with her good hand, too focused on her injuries to pay attention to me. Big mistake. After changing semblances I warped in front of her and punched her in the cut on her stomach, making her scream in pain again before I grabbed her neck and threw her over my shoulder onto the ground, cracking the roof from the force.

Putting a knee on her sternum and a hand over her mouth, I smiled as her face became contorted in pain as I shifted my weight onto her body, cracking the bones even further. I began collecting Aura for a blast in my hand, which also meant it was collecting in her mouth. My hand muffled her screams as the energy burned her from the inside.

 **"I'd recommend you make peace with your God."** The Voice and I spoke as one. **"But I won't be listening to bitches like you."**

I laughed like a madman as I released the Aura if built up, but then everything seemed to freeze. I'd felt a force tug me backwards and suddenly the whole fight seemed to be happening in reverse until we reached the point to where I was about to put on the mask.

I wasn't sure what happened. I heard the Voice growl before retreating beck to where it came, and then I was able to think clearly. I brought my hand down and stared at it in shock and horror. I'd put on the mask and lost control again. I felt disgusted with myself, but before I could do anything I'd heard another voice.

"Are you alright?" I looked up to see the speaker was the girl, who moments ago was terrified by my presence and no acted as if nothing happened.

I looked around, confused before my gaze fell on the woman. She ran her hands along the parts of her body that moments ago held life-threatening injuries, but now it seemed that the wounds never existed. Our eyes met in mutual confusion before a new voice spoke out.

"I apologize for my subordinate's behavior."

Standing behind the woman and the girl was a man in a green suit. He had a green ascot with a cross pin and messy grey hair. He wore glasses and held a cane in his hands. It wasn't obvious, but anyone who studied him could tell he was leaning on the cane, as if tired.

"However," He continued. "I do believe after that display, I think it's best if we have that talk."

I was about to resist again, but I hesitated as I realized that the fight went as smoothly as it did because I caught the woman off guard. Knowing that, I concluded that I wouldn't win without the mask, and that was a risk I wasn't taking again.

"Fine." I said in defeat. "But if this is a trap, I'm killing all of you."

 **AN: And done!**

 **Ok, First thing: Before anyone gets on my case about the fight, there are two things to consider:**

 **1\. Verdax and the other Grimmlings are half Grimm and have trained to be stronger than the average Huntsman in case they need to fight one.**

 **2\. The Voice said that Verdax would lose against Glynda without its power. The mask just boost his power that much. Why he doesn't use it as often is explained later in the story.**

 **Second: There is going to be an OC later in the story that Verdax could potentially have a romantic relationship with. I'm not having another poll (I'm getting sick of them) so I'm asking that you guys just comment in the reviews if you'd rather see Verdax be in a relationship with the OC, Ruby, or both. Telling you who the OC is would be spoilers so I'll just point out the important stuff:**

 **1\. She and Verdax do work closely together enough that they are partners.**

 **2\. She does have a romantic interest in Verdax.**

 **3\. She is literally never more than 4ft away outside of some combat situations if she can help it.**

 **If i get three or more people asking for the OC, Ruby, or Both then that's what I'll do. If no one says anything I'll be confused as fuck for what to do.**

 **Thanks for the help! Positive criticism is also appreciated!**

 **SolarTitan signing off!**

 **Edit: Made a few changes to dialogue.**


	3. History is the Key

**AN: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

History is the Key

'I instantly regret my decision.' Was my first thought.

I sat at a table in the middle of a police station interrogation room next to the girl with the red hood, who still gave no reaction of fear. We watched as the woman, who introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch paved the room and gave us a lecture.

"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly." She said. "You put yourselves and others in great danger."

"They started it!" The girl countered.

I sighed. "I had the situation well under control. If I didn't have to worry about you or little red here, Torchwick would be in a fucking cell or six feet under."

"And another thing!" Glynda continued, turning to me. "You killed five people."

"Self defen- wait." I said, sitting up. "Didn't red kill the others?"

"No, they were knocked unconscious and taken into custody."

I turned to the girl beside me, who still looked depressed to be here. "You fought like that and managed to avoid killing them?" She nodded. "I am legitimately impressed."

She smiled as Glynda cleared her throat, making us face her.

"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back, and a slap on the wrist." She said to the girl as she slapped the riding crop down on the table.

"And you," She turned to me. "Would be turned over to the authorities and receive rightful punishment."

I was getting sick of her bullshit. "Tough talk from someone I almost bisected."

Glynda briefly smelt of fear and anger before repressing those feelings while the girl appeared confused.

"However," She continued, ignoring me. "Professor Ozpin still wants a word with you."

The door opened and the man from earlier entered the room, holding a plate of cookies.

"Ruby Rose." He said calmly, putting the plate of cookies on the table. I froze at his words. Tuning out their conversation, I took another look at Ruby.

'Is it possible...' I thought as I pictured a woman who looked like an older version of Ruby sitting next to the girl. If I was right, then-

I suddenly covered my ears as Ruby released a high-pitch scream of excitement. My first instinct was to slap her, but then she started shaking hands with the man, who I guess was professor Ozpin.

"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou!" She shouted happily.

Oum fucking damnit!' I thought as I massaged my ears.

He then turned to me. "I'm sorry young man, but in the excitement with Miss Rose I forgot to ask your name."

"Verdax. Verdax Ashen."

The speed at which the room went silent was scary. Ozpin and Glynda both just stared at me, and Ruby actually stopped her hyperactive ravings to look at me in awe.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

"Did you say Verdax Ashen?" Ozpin questioned, leaning in.

"Unless I said something else, yes."

Glynda stepped forwards. "That's impossible. Verdax and his mother were killed twelve years ago and Nathaniel Ashen hasn't been seen since the incident. The whole event was labeled as one of the worst anti-Faunus acts in recent history."

I gave a short laugh. "Your records are horribly inaccurate then. Only my mother died. I managed to get away and as far as I know and care my father is dead."

"Then where have you been for twelve years?" Ozpin asked.

"That," I said. "Is a long story I don't think I feel like telling you."

The room was silent as me, Glynda and Ozpin were in a quiet power struggle, with me trying to stay ahead of them and vice-versa.

Ozpin sighed. "Mr. Ashen, you killed five people. Legally, that's enough to put you in prison for a very long time."

"Believe me I've killed a lot more than five." I said, propping my feet on the table.

"Now," Ozpin continued. "I know you demonstrated considerable power on the rooftop tonight and you think you'll be able to escape if we try anything. So instead I'll offer you a deal."

I raised an eyebrow. "What deal?"

"You're an excellent fighter, but you're far from defeating the more powerful beings on this planet. I'll give you the same choice I gave Miss Rose here." He leaned back. "I'll enroll you in Beacon academy, no admission, and you commit yourself to being a huntsman. In exchange you'll have a roof over your head, three meals a day and a place to refine your skills and grow in power. All you have to do is tell me where you've been for the past twelve years."

"Ozpin-!" Glynda began, only for him to hold up a hand, silencing her.

I narrowed my eyes. "What, I give you my life story and you give me all that? Go through all that trouble? I don't buy it. What's your real game here?"

Ozpin just took a sip of his coffee. "Your parents were good friends of mine. When I learned that they'd died I launched and led the investigation myself. For years I felt guilty because I didn't find much, but now that I know you're alive, I want to make it up to them by making sure you lead a good life. However, to do that, I need to know what happened to you."

I didn't sense and dishonesty to his words, and I do remember my parents mentioning him once. On one hand I don't trust him, on the other I know I'll have to face _him_ one day and the Voice is becoming a bigger problem as time passes. I need to get stronger.

"Alright." I said. "But how much do you want Ruby here to know?"

The adults looked at the girl who still sat next to me. Ruby looked at them in turn for a few moments before Ozpin spoke.

"Given everything she's seen tonight I feel she has every right to know."

"Whatever." I said and put my feet back on the floor. "To begin, my mother was killed by the townspeople forming a lynch mob. We were the only Faunus in a pro-human town so we weren't popular."

I began to shake with anger remembering what happened. "I stood up to some kids who bullied me. In response those… BASTARDS tricked the whole town into thinking my family beat them to an inch of their lives. We weren't given a trial or investigation, no! We got an angry mob that broke down our door and hung my mother from a tree in the town square while they pelted her with rocks and trash!"

Tears fell down my cheeks and I felt my Aura leaking. I didn't bother seeing the others' reactions as I stated at the table, trying to calm myself.

"My mother hid me under a crawlspace in the living room as they dragged her away. After I watched the lynching I ran, not caring where I went, just away from that town of monsters."

"What about your father?" Ozpin asked.

"He left town that morning on assignment and I never saw him again."

The adults were quiet again, but Ruby was actually crying, which surprised me. I never thought I'd meet another human who was sad for me.

'I guess she is her daughter.' I thought.

"A week later," I continued. "I was found and picked up by a splinter cell of the White Fang. They promised me food and shelter, which they gave me, but didn't tell me the drawbacks."

I looked back to Ozpin and Glynda. "This is where things get a little hard to believe." I told them. "The day after they brought me in, I was taken onto an operating room and cut me open. They didn't warn me or use anesthetics, believing the pain would help me grow."

I looked down at my hand. "They tore out my heart and brain, and put a Beowolf's in their place. I was bled dry and pumped full of its blood. I didn't realize until halfway through the operation that they were getting these parts fresh from a Beowolf across the room. They believed that the mutual pain would strengthen me, make me more accepting of what they were doing. I still hear its cries sometimes. Monster or not, it didn't deserve what they did to it."

"So they forcibly merged you with a Grimm?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah, as a result I became stronger, faster, and my Aura and semblance were automatically unlocked. When the operation was done I healed at three times the normal speed, and gained the ability to sense negative emotions. Speaking of which," I turned to Glynda. "You might want to take some anger management classes."

Ozpin smirked as Glynda gained a flustered look.

"Next came three phases of tests." I said. "First, they locked us in a room full of Grimm and wouldn't let us out until either we were dead or the Grimm were. Next-"

"They made kids fight hordes of Grimm!?" Ruby asked.

I shot her a glare that make her back of and shut up. "Do _not_ interrupt me again."

She nodded hurriedly. "Anyways, next they made us fight captured Huntsmen and Huntresses under the same rules. The only difference being that the Hunter was killed whether they won or lost."

That got their attention. Ozpin and Glynda became visibly more furious at that information while Ruby seemed to think it over.

"Um..." she spoke up. "Was there a Huntress by the name of Summer Rose there?"

I had more flashes of the woman in the white cloak, her blood on my hands and her corpse on the floor. I saw white energy traveling along my arm.

"Yeah." I answered dryly. "I heard there was one with that name. She lost."

Ruby lowered her head, tears in her eyes. I couldn't tell her I killed her, I don't know why but I felt it wasn't time. So instead I decided to ignore her and continue with my story.

I turned back to Ozpin. "Lastly, they locked us all in a room, gave each of us a weapon of choice, and told us to kill each other until ten were left. Which we did."

If nothing else surprised them, this bit of info did. Personally I thought it was a miracle no one had a heart attack.

"How old were they?" Glynda asked, breaking the silence.

"The oldest was sixteen, the youngest was twelve. We were all kids who thought this would mean we could see our families after ten years."

"Ten years?!" Glynda exclaimed.

"Yes after the ten of us were left, the project was shut down and we were enlisted into the White Fang militia. The leader of the White Fang had no idea these experiments were happening, so he ordered the head scientist to be killed for his inhumane acts." I laughed. "That didn't stop him from using us for his goals though."

Ozpin put on a thoughtful look as he seemed to consider something.

"Miss Rose you are free to return home. Glynda, if you'll give us a moment alone."

Nodding, Ruby left the room, casting one more glance at me before leaving. Glynda hesitated, but followed suit. Soon it was just Ozpin and I.

"What's your semblance Mr. Ashen?"

I blinked. "I was wondering how long until you asked that. I can drain Aura from my opponent and copy their semblance if it's unlocked and I want it. I've only copied two semblances though. One belonged to a fallen comrade, while the other-"

"Was Summer Rose's." Ozpin finished.

I stared at him. "Your other semblance, the disappearing into petals, only two people in the world had that ability: Summer and her daughter. You also said that Summer lost a fight against one of the subjects. Now unless you were social with the victor or allowed to watch the fights, the only way you'd have her semblance and know the outcome of that fight-"

"Is if I was the one who fought and killed her." I finished.

Ozpin nodded.

I smirked. "You're more observant than I gave you credit for, Ozpin. Now, what will you do with that information?"

"Personally, I believe Miss Rose has a right to know the fate of her mother, but I won't force you to reveal anything. For now I have one final question."

He leaned in. "The mask." He said.

I stared him right in the eye. "I was hoping you didn't notice."

"It gave you the power to almost kill Glynda and you acted differently with it on. What is it?"

I hissed as a presence made its way into my mind.

 _'Yes Verdax, tell him about me. How dangerous I am.'_ The Voice whispered playfully. _'We can even give him a better demonstration if he wants.'_

"Stay out of this." I growled.

Ozpin gained a confused look. "I can't do that Verdax. I need all the facts about the mask before I can let you attend Beacon."

 _'Fine then, have fun with your talk.'_ With that the Voice left.

I released the breath I didn't know I held and looked to Ozpin again. "I'll explain if you tell me why one second Glynda was about to die, the next she's absolutely fine and our fight seemed to never happen."

Ozpin leaned back. "My semblance is time manipulation. I can't do anything drastic, but by using a large concentration of Aura and enough focus, I can revert time by one minute, which was enough to undo the damage you caused."

And I thought I had all the secrets. A time manipulation semblance would be nice to have, maybe...

"If you're thinking about taking my semblance," Ozpin spoke up. "Just know I won't let you have it without a fight. It's too powerful to be in the wrong hands."

This man reads people like an adult reads a children's book, everything is obvious.

"Fair enough." I said. "So why did Ruby seem to forget the fight ever happened? One second she's afraid and the next she's concerned with my well being."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "It's the observer effect. Those that are the cause of any changes in the timeline are the only ones who retain memories of the events that changed. Miss Rose was not directly involved in your fight, so she retained none of the memories from it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Interesting concept. I'll keep that in mind."

We were silent for a full minute as I composed myself.

"The mask is the manifestation of my Grimm powers and nature. Right now everything is repressed, but the mask brings it all out. All of those who were in the project could do this."

"If it makes you that much stronger, why don't you use it more?"

"That's... where things get complicated."

I took a deep breath. "The thing is... when I was... combined, let's say... with the Beowolf, well... it didn't exactly die."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Just as I said, the Beowolf didn't die. Instead it fused with my body and lives in my head. Simply put it became a second personality. I don't know what it wants, but it can't stand when I'm weak. It influences me when I wear the mask, and has even been able to take over my body. That's why I don't use the mask if I can avoid it."

Ozpin was quiet. "I know it's crazy-"

"I believe you."

"Huh?"

Ozpin stood up and fished a scroll out of his pocket. He handed it to me and I took it, suspicious of his actions.

"I promised you a spot at Beacon, and you'll have it. I'll make sure you get stronger and we'll deal with the Beowolf in your head. I promise you."

I stared at the scroll in my hand. "Why? Why go through all this for me? Even if my parents were your friends, these are extreme lengths to go to."

Ozpin had a sad look in his eyes. He put a hand on my shoulder as he spoke. "Your father was on my team when I went to Beacon. He was the closest thing I had to a brother and I couldn't be therefor him or you when I should have been, and now I know that you've been through ten years of Hell. I may have failed Nathaniel but I will not fail or abandon you, Verdax. I swear on my life."

I was speechless. I couldn't sense any dishonesty from him so I believe he was telling the truth.

"Okay." I said as I nodded.

Ozpin smiled before turning to leave. "The airship leaves tomorrow at nine in the morning. I'll see you after the introduction ceremony."

Once Ozpin left I stared at the scroll in my hands. Was this the right course? Would this make things better? Can he really help stop the voice? Will I be able to face Shiro?

I looked back to the doorway, more unsure of the future than I was before this meeting. I walked out of the station and down the street, pondering my choice and realizing something.

"He says he won't abandon me, yet he left me alone to sleep in another alleyway for tonight." I sighed. "Great start, Oz."

 **AN: Couple things to say, first off as you've noticed I started writing in first person.**

 **I find this is a bit easier to do than my old writing style and it gives me a new perspective when writing. Don't like it? That's your choice and I respect it.**

 **Secondly, the pairing. I have taken the answers from the review section, plus the opinions of a small focus group consisting of other writers and friends and the results are as follows:**

 **Verdax and Ruby: 1**

 **Verdax and OC: 2**

 **Verdax, OC and Ruby: 3**

 **So the pairing will be Verdax with the OC and Ruby. This is final and I'm never going to let indecisiveness go this far again.**

 **I'd like to thank you guys for your support, it's really awesome. I've got some other projects in the works, however so it may be a bit before I update this story. Some of these projects include, but are not limited to:**

 **Rwby and Highschool Dxd crossover**

 **Destiny story**

 **All featuring Verdax because multiverse theory!***

 ***Totally not an excuse for me to avoid coming up with a new name.**

 **See you all next time! And please leave a review, I enjoy the feedback!**

 **Edit: Made some slight changes to dialogue.**


	4. Through the Window!

**AN:I am so sorry this took so long! I've been very busy lately and only recently got to writing. On the bright side, I should have more time to do so now.**

 **Without further adieu (hope I'm using that word right), the next chapter!**

'Grimm' Verdax thinking.

' _Grimm'_ Voice talking.

 **Through the Window!**

Vale was burning. Grimm were roaming the city and anyone unlucky enough to be on the streets was either dead, dying, or lunch. Buildings collapsed as I walked down the street. I tried to reach out, to help those I saw, but my body wouldn't respond, so I walked.

Every step I took, I heard a new voice begging for help, each street showed a new death. I focused on the ground in front of me, but I couldn't block out the chaos. Reaching an open square, what was probably once a park before being razed and filled with piles of rotting corpses, I stopped and looked around, trying to spot any survivors, only to see the occasional Grimm.

A black blur race in front of me, then behind me, and then it appeared everywhere all at once. I looked around frantically, trying to get a better look at this thing I knew was responsible for this Hell. I unsheathed Grimmsbane only for the arm holding it to be ripped off by the blur. I yelled in agony as I clutched the stump where my right arm was, black blood trickling through the gaps of my fingers. I lost focus on that spot as a new source of pain appeared in the form of a forearm piercing my chest and heart.

I looked up wide-eyed as I coughed up blood and saw a pair of glowing; blood-red eyes stare back at me with sadistic glee.

 _'You'll_ _never_ _be free of me, partner.'_

0-0-0-0-0

I sat up immediately. My breathing was heavy and my heart pounding like a drum in my ears. I shook my head and tried to calm down, which took a few minutes. Putting my hand on my head I thought back to the dream.

'What was the point of that?' I thought. 'Why show me something like that.'

I looked up to the sky. "Don't suppose you'd be willing to explain?"

Nothing.

I sighed. "Of course."

I stood up and put on my trench coat, after giving it the usual is-it-clean sniff. Could be better, but still good. I looked over the side of the building, watching people go about their morning business as I thought about last night. Starting today I would be going to Beacon, me of all people.

I thought back to what Ozpin said about knowing my parents. Even if they mentioned him once or twice, I never saw him in that five-year period, which is what got me suspicious. I'll trust him for now, but I won't lower my guard around him or his associates.

 _'You shouldn't have trusted him to begin with.'_ The Voice said, making me wince at its presence.

"It speaks!" I growled sarcastically. "You were the one who said to tell him about you."

 _'I was hoping to provoke a fight, get some entertainment from him. I did not expect for you to join him.'_

"Is that fear I'm detecting in your voice, oh mighty Beowolf? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were afraid Ozpin actually has a way for me to be rid of you."

I clutched my head as the Voice presses forwards. _'Do not make such light assumptions, boy. Whatever tricks this Ozpin has, he cannot undo our bond. Do well to remember that.'_ And it was gone.

"Always a pleasure." I grumble.

I felt a vibration in my pocket. I reached in and pulled out the scroll that Ozpin had given me last night. I pulled it apart, revealing a glass screen with a picture of Ozpin and a green button below it. Curious, I pushed it.

"Hello Verdax." Ozpin's voice said. "I'm sending this message to your scroll because I wanted to remind you that the airships to Beacon leave at Nine A.M. and will not make return trips for left-behinds. I'll see you on campus."

The message ended. I put the tablet in my pocket again and looked at the clock tower across the street.

Eight fifty-five.

"Well, I guess I missed it." I said in mock disappointment. "A real shame."

The scroll buzzed again as I was about to lie down. Pulling it out, I saw it had another message from Ozpin. I hit the green button again as his voice came on once again.

"In case your deciding to skip going to Beacon, I thought I'd tell you that your scroll has a tracking device in it and I'm prepared to inform the military along with any nearby huntsmen and huntresses of your location and activities. See you at school Mr. Ashen."

"..."

"You son of a bitch."

I grabbed Grimmsbane and slung it on my back as I crushed the scroll in one had. I leapt to the street, startling the pedestrians and took off. I used my Rose semblance to increase my speed at the cost of knocking down pedestrians in my way and leaping over cars as I passed. I snatched a bagel from a coffee shop for breakfast, much to the annoyance of the customer.

Reaching the airship docks, I ran through the crowds, gates, security guards, and families. It was a straightaway to the airship and the doors were closing, so I picked up the speed. Of course one kid had to be an asshole and stand in my path, forcing me to jump over him. I managed to clear his head with two feet to spare.

The landing was not as graceful.

Word of advice: somersaults at 60 miles an hour with a greatsword strapped to your back fucking hurts. I barreled through the airship terminal until I went through the door, which startled one of the crew members, and finally stopped when my back slammed into the railing on the other side of the airship, coming up upside down with enough force to make the whole railing lean back.

"Ah, damnit." I hissed as my healing factor fused my fractured spine together.

I got up and dusted myself off, noticing the other occupants of the ship were staring at me. If I had to guess, a fifth were actually concerned, a third thought I was just another weirdo, and the remaining ones glared hatefully at my wolf ears, as usual. I found myself a corner away from everyone's prying eyes and sat down, deciding to think out how I would handle my time at Beacon.

With any luck I might get some peace and-

"Hey Verdax!"

Oh Oum damnit.

I opened my eyes to see the girl from last night... Ruby, that was it. She was approaching me with another girl behind her.

The other girl was half a head taller than Ruby, with blonde hair that reached her lower back and lilac eyes. She wore a brown jacket with proofed shoulders over a yellow tank top, showing both a bit of cleavage and midriff, as well as black short shorts under a sort of lilac cape attached at the waist. On her black fingerless gloves and a gold bracelet on each wrist while her feet had brown, knee-high boots with orange and purple fabric sticking out the tops.

"Oh it's you." I greeted her unenthusiastically.

"You're going to Beacon too?" Ruby asked.

"For now. Whether I decide it's worth staying depends on what I find there."

Ruby nodded in understanding. "This is my sister, Yang." She introduced the blonde girl.

"What's with all black clothes? You trying to go for an emo look?" Yang asked.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted.

"What's emo?" Both girls looked at me, apparently caught off guard by the question.

"Well-"

"It's nothing!" Ruby exclaimed, cutting off her sister's answer.

Deciding the topic wasn't worth pursuing, I got straight to the point. "What do you want?"

Ruby sat next to me. "Well Yang keeps telling me to make friends and I saw you sitting in the corner. So I thought you could use some company."

"You thought wrong." I said. "If I wanted friends I would have gone to literally any of the other dozens of people who belong on this airship."

"What do you-"

"You're not ready to go to Beacon."

Ruby looked down and I felt pressure on my foot. I looked up to see Yang giving me a warning glare. I decided to ignore it as I continued my point.

"You have skill, I won't deny that, but that skill means nothing when you've only revived half as much training as the average student. The lack of experience is a major problem and is likely to get you killed."

"I won't let that-" Yang started.

"You won't let that happen. That doesn't mean it never will." I told her, noticing how she grit her teeth and put more pressure on my foot. "Grimm travel in large packs and the ones that don't are smart and strong enough to kill veteran huntsmen. You can't fight all of them off and expect Ruby to be unscathed."

I stood up. "She's not ready. And one day that will get herself or someone else killed."

Yang just glared at me and I let Aura leak of my body as a warning. Taking the hint, she kneeled in front of Ruby.

"Don't listen to him Rubes." She said gently, putting a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "You'll do great."

I was about to retort when the holographic televisions were suddenly replaced by an image of Goodwitch.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon." She said in an oddly kind tone. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have revived the honor of being admitted to this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your job to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for the task, and it is our turn to provide the knowledge and training to protect our world."

I rolled my eyes as her image vanished. That was clearly a fluff piece meant to boost the self-esteem of the other students. The only upside was that it gave me an idea about what kind of people these idiots were.

As far as I was concerned, the airship contained three types of people, those who solidified their confidence from the announcement and would be decent warriors, like Yang, those who lost some of their fear and would be a fifty-fifty of good and bad, like Ruby, and those who were still afraid and not make it past initiation, like the blonde currently emptying his stomach into a trash can.

Deciding I'd had enough of everyone on this airship, I walked over to the doors we would disembark from. Everyone occasionally glanced at me as I stood in front of them before I backed up to the railing. I took a few deep breaths as I braced myself, eyes locked on the door. I broke out into a sprint, charging my Aura as I ran, letting it build until I came to a stop and kicked the doors with all my might.

I felt them cave in until they snapped away completely, spinning in the air as they fell to the ground bellow. I laid a hand on the doorframe to steady myself and piped my ears as air began tearing through the cabin to equalize the pressure, causing people scream in panic and grab anything secure.

Looking down I saw the rooftops of a massive compound built like a castle. There was a courtyard and a landing strip to the south, a forest at the base of a cliff to the east, and a massive tower in the center. Luckily, said tower was in our current flight path. I waited until it was in position and let go, falling feet first towards the structure.

As I hit the sloped roof, I unsheathed Grimmsbane and planted its blade into the building, preventing myself from falling off the tower. I slid down to the ledge and jumped, using Grimmsbane as an anchor and pivot to swing around and crashed through the window that awaited me. Landing in a field of broken glass, I stood and sheathed Grimmsbane looking around to find myself in an office with several turning gears in the ceiling and in the desk, giving the room a clockwork feel to it.

A short cough revealed I wasn't alone. I whirled around, hand on my weapon to find Ozpin sitting at the desk, leaning on his hands and staring at me. To his right was Glynda, who looked shocked at my appearance, holding a tablet, which she almost dropped.

"Well Mr. Ashen," He said. "I'm assuming there's a reason you came crashing through my window."

I shrugged. "The airship was too much trouble, so I took the express elevator."

"You jumped off the airship!?" Glynda demanded.

"Yeah, had to break the doors off first." I responded before turning to Ozpin. "Your future students panic easy by the way. The doors were gone for two seconds and they all just started screaming bloody murder."

Ozpin sighed. "Glynda, go make sure the school psychologist is ready to meet with the students on the airship, I will stay and have a word with Mr. Ashen."

Glynda looked as if she wanted to protest, but after a glare from Ozpin she walked to the back of the room into a waiting elevator, shooting me a death glare as the doors shut. Once she was gone I turned back to Ozpin.

"Mr. Ashen." He said calmly, but I could tell he was holding back some irritation. "Would you mind telling me what possessed you to leap from the airship, endangering yourself and the other students?"

"Well for starters," I began. "I don't like cramped spaces, the people were annoying, and I'm still pissed from breaking my spine getting on that damned thing."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Did you..."

"Yes, I literally shattered my spinal cord getting on that airship."

I raised my hand, stopping Ozpin from saying more. "Don't worry, I have a healing factor. Benefits of being half monster."

Ozpin sighed. "On to the topic at hand, there are some matters we need to discuss." He paused and I gestured for him to continue as I crossed my arms. "I would appreciate if you avoided destroying school property in the future."

"Noted, but no promises."

"I suppose that's the best I'll get." He said. "Secondly, because of your past I feel the need to say this: I will not tolerate the death or injury of a student on campus outside of combat classes."

"Unless they piss me off or have it coming, then fine."

"No Verdax." Ozpin spoke sternly and with authority, making me raise an eyebrow. "You will not fight another student unless it is in combat classes. Am I understood?"

I growled. "Let's get one thing straight Ozzie." I put both hands on his desk and leaned forwards until I looked him in the eye. "I have no obligation to follow your orders. I have done so to this point because you were nice enough to give me a roof over my head and apparently knew my parents. In fact, the only reason I told you my past was because you had a right to know what happened."

I raised my right hand, gathering Aura in my palm. "I will work _with_ you but that does not give you the right to order me around like I work _for_ you, _or_ that you can try to act like my parents."

I stood back up and cut the stream of Aura. "I'm only here until my Beowolf problem is solved. After that, I'm gone. Am _I_ understood?"

We stared each other down, neither one giving ground. After a few minutes Ozpin relented.

"Very well, if that's how you wish to play this. As long as you are a student here, I will do all I can to assist with your 'inner Grimm' problem. However, until we have a solution, it would be best if you behave like a student, rather than a former terrorist."

I considered what he said and decided that it was the best course of action for now. What worried me was that the Beowolf had been silent for the conversation so far. It usually took times like this, when I was frustrated or angry, and edge me on, but this time there was nothing. If nothing else it should have commented about me getting rid of it.

"Fine by me." I responded, deciding to investigate the Grimm's absence later. "Anything else?"

Ozpin stood and walked around the desk, cane in hand. "There is the matter of teams. With your arrival we now have an odd number of students, meaning that someone will be without a partner." He raised his hand as I was about to speak. "Now I know that you want to be alone, but we can't just have a team of one; that defeats the purpose of teams in the first place."

"I'm guessing you have a solution." I said.

Ozpin smirked. "After I address the first years, you will undergo the initiation trial by yourself. There will be a time limit, and your objective is to kill as many Grimm as possible. In doing so, you will be given points based on how many and what kind of Grimm you kill. Once time is up your score will be tallied and set as a goal. Then, once the other teams have completed initiation, we will use a similar point system with them to determine who's team you'll be on."

I thought about what he said. I would rather be alone, but this might be better. If I was to be on a team, I would rather it be full of competent people.

"Alright we'll try it your way." I told him. "Also, I need a new scroll. _Without_ a tracking device."

"I'll make sure to get you one." Ozpin checked his watch. "It's time for the address. Follow me to the auditorium."

We walked to the elevator and got in. It jolted a bit as it began moving down. I started thinking of strategies when my head began pounding.

 _'He's hiding something.'_ The Voice growled.

I clutched my head and grunted. 'Now you speak up. Where have you been?'

 _'Finding out what this man is hiding from us.'_

'I'm sure Ozpin has a lot of secrets, now will you get out!?'

 _'You always say that. What am I supposed to do? Pack my things and leave?'_

'That'd be great.' I responded, trying to not let Ozpin know about my conversation with the Beowolf.

 _'Our current disputes aside, there's something he's not telling you.'_

'And what could be so important-'

 _'A source of Aura as large as yours a mile below us.'_

That got me to freeze. I had always had a massive stockpile of Aura in my system that got bigger whenever I drained someone else's Aura. It's what let's me use it in fights so recklessly. To hear that there's another source just as big outside of the Grimmling project...

'Explain.' I told the Voice.

 _'As far as I can tell, the energy I'm feeling is shattered, broken. Half of it is missing.'_

'What do you mean missing? You don't just _lose_ half your Aura!'

 _'That's what has me concerned. This person somehow only has_ _half_ _their Aura and yet it's still as big as your own. What does that tell you?'_

The Voice was right. If that source of Aura was enough to rival mine at half, it could be a problem. If Shiro were to learn about this... I didn't want to think about what the strongest Grimmling would do to get it.

The elevator doors opened and I followed Ozpin out. 'This requires some investigation, but not now. We'll wait until we get an opportunity.' I informed the Voice.

 _'Very well.'_

 **AN: Okay two reasons I stopped there: First, I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible, and second I wanted to have all the initiation action in one chapter.**

 **An announcement, I'm going to take a short break from this story, not long, a month at most, just to gather my thoughts about where this story is headed and make sure that it doesn't take this long to post another chapter. Until then, I will be working on 'Remnant's Heavenly Dragons', feel free to check it out if you haven't already.**

 **Please leave a review and comment, I love feedback! No flames please.**

 **Until next time!**


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